Common Be (Vinyl 2LP)

Recorded mostly in New York and Los Angeles, and largely written in the Chicago native's hometown, 2005's critically acclaimed, multi-Grammy nominated Be is a brilliant manifestation of raw, warm, soulful, pure, contemporary hip-hop that clocks in at just 11 songs. Common's return to his roots and to his music's unadulterated essence meant that the bulk of Be's production was helmed by fellow Chicagoan Kanye West. Ye contributed nine tracks and helped to shape the overall sound of the LP while the late great J Dilla produced two cuts ("Love Is" and "Its Your World"). The result is a superlative collection of successive gems that finds the seasoned vet rhyming with the hunger, intensity and fire of a newjack. "Chi City" is a hometown anthem anchored by a hard drum beat, a soulful horn sample and cuts by DJ Dummy and DJ A-Trak. "Testify" is a rugged, cinematic, suspense thriller that finds Common spinning the tale of a woman testifying for her man in court. Other highlights include "Faithful," wherein Common contemplates the connection between God and woman while the soul-stirring voices of Bilal and John Legend tug at the listener's heart strings.